Govt looking at proposal to set up legal wing in Coal Ministry

PTI|

Updated: Nov 23, 2012, 05.28 PM IST

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NEW DELHI: The government is looking at a proposal to set up a legal wing in the Coal Ministry to handle cases related to coal block allocations, amid controversies over the handing over of mines to companies without auctions.

"There is a proposal to set up legal wing in the Coal Ministry which will look into court cases with regard to coal blocks allocations and other issues," a government official said. The official declined to share details of the proposal, saying that it was at a nascent stage.

The Supreme Court, on Monday, issued notice to the Centre and the CBI on a plea for a probe by a special investigation team into the alleged irregularities in the coal block allocations.

A bench of justices R M Lodha and A R Dave also sought response from them on a public interest litigation petition seeking cancellation of the licences granted by the government for coal blocks to various private companies.

The bench, however, refused to stay the licences, which were allegedly granted in violation the of law.

The court asked the government and the agency to file comprehensive reply on the alleged irregularities in the coal block allocation within eight weeks and posted the matter for further hearing on January 24.

The bench was hearing a PIL filed by various members of civil society including former CEC N Gopalaswami, ex-Navy chief L Ramdas and former Cabinet Secretary T S R Subramanian, seeking a SIT probe into the alleged scam.

They have alleged that the ongoing CBI investigation into the coal block allocation is not sufficient and only SIT can conduct an impartial probe in the case, in which names of many ministers and their kith and kin have cropped up.

The alleged coal block scam came under judicial scrutiny on September 14 when the apex court, on a PIL by advocate M L Sharma, had directed the Centre to explain if the guidelines on allotting natural resources to private companies were being strictly followed.

Expanding the ambit of judicial scrutiny of the alleged irregularities, the bench also issued notice to the CBI on a plea for appointment of a SIT and the cancellation of allocation of 194 coal blocks to various companies.